ST. NICHOLAS COLLEGE

HALF YEARLY PRIMARY EXAMINATIONS

February 2013

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YEAR 5 ENGLISH TIME: 1 h 15 min

(Reading Comprehension, Language and Writing)

English (Reading Comprehension, Language & Writing) Half-Yearly Exams 2013 – Year5 Page 1 of 12

Name: ______________________________ Class: ____________

Total: 60 marks

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A. Reading Comprehension (20 marks)

Read the following passage carefully:

A SPECIAL KIND OF DOG

Rex started barking loudly. The children, Violet, Lara and Benny,

looked in the direction Rex was facing and saw a young man with dark

curly hair walking along with another dog.

“I think Rex just spotted that

golden retriever,” said Violet. “From the

dog’s harness, I’d say that’s a very special

kind of dog,” she said, as the man and dog

came closer. “It looks like a guide dog.”

“If that man can’t see, then why is

he wearing a blindfold over his eyes?”

asked Lara. The man had a rolled-up scarf

tied around his head, covering his eyes.

He stopped on the pavement and the

guide dog sat down beside him. The children watched as the man

removed his blindfold and spoke to a woman who had been walking

behind him. Benny squatted and reached out his hand toward the dog.

“You really shouldn’t distract a guide dog when it’s working,” the

man told Benny, his voice gentle. “But it’s okay this time.”

“I’m sorry if my brother is

bothering you,” Violet said to the man.

“It’s quite all right. I enjoy

meeting young people who are interested

in animals,” said the man. “I’m Jason and

this is Mrs. Carter. She opened the

Greenfield Guide Dog School just a few years ago. I work there as an

instructor. And this is Ginger.” He stroked the golden retriever’s back.

“She’s one of my students.”

“She looks like a very good student,” said Violet, noticing how

obediently Ginger sat at Jason’s feet.

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“As a matter of fact, she just passed her guide dog exam,” Jason

said. “She was leading me, and Mrs. Carter was walking behind to make

sure Ginger did everything right.”

“Is that why you were wearing a blindfold?” asked Lara.

“Yes,” Jason said. “I had to make sure Ginger would be able to

lead someone who couldn’t see. Now that she’s completed her training, a

blind person can use Ginger to get around. They’ll be able to go to shops

and restaurants, ride on buses, even cross busy streets, and never have

to worry.”

“That’s amazing!” said Violet. “How did you teach Ginger to do

that?”

“It takes a lot of training,” Jason explained. “If you’d like to

come by the school tomorrow, I’ll show you how we work.”

“We’d love to!” said Lara.

(Adapted from The Guide Dog Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner)

1. Tick () to show whether the sentence is True or False.

(3 marks)

True False

a) Guide dogs are special dogs.

b) Violet could tell why Rex was barking.

c) Ginger was a Labrador.

d) The man with dark curly hair was blind.

e) Lara was curious about the blindfold.

f) Jason scolded Benny angrily.

g) A guide dog needs a lot of training.

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2. Underline the best answer to complete the sentence. (3 marks)

a) A guide dog (catches thieves, helps blind people, controls sheep,

stands guard).

b) Benny (wanted to pat, was afraid of, barked at, did not like) the

guide dog.

c) Ginger had just (started her lessons, had a litter of puppies,

finished her training, failed her exam).

3. From the passage choose the correct underlined words that have

a similar meaning to those in column A. (4 marks)

Column A Words in the passage

a) trainer instructor

b) annoying

c) sat on his heels

d) saw

e) draw away one’s attention

4. Now answer the following:

a) Why did Rex start to bark loudly? (1 mark)

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b) How did Violet realise that Ginger was a guide dog?

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(1 mark)

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c) What was the man wearing over his eyes? (1 mark)

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d) Who was the woman following Jason and Ginger? Why was she

following them? (3 marks)

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e) Mention two things blind people are able to do with the help of a

guide dog. (2 marks)

i) ______________________________________________

ii) ______________________________________________

f) Do you think Jason was proud of Ginger? Why? (2 marks)

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B. Language (10 marks)

B.1 Fill in the blanks with ONE WORD ONLY to finish the questions.

(6 marks) Example: How far is Malta from Sicily? 90 kilometres

1) How ___________ is this castle? 600 years

2) How ___________ is a giraffe’s neck? 2 metres

3) How ___________ milk does he drink? 1 litre a day

4) How ___________ weeks are there in a year? 52 weeks

5) How ___________ is a tiger? 250 kilograms

6) How ___________ do you brush your teeth? Twice a day

B.2 Underline the correct word. The first one is ready. (4 marks)

Weather Information for Tourists

(Tomorrow, Yesterday) the weather will be very hot and sunny.

The temperature will (reach, rise) 36C during the day and the UV

index will (being, be) close to level 10. You (must, shouldn’t) stay out in

the sun during the peak hours between 11am and 3pm. If you (had, have)

to go out you should wear a hat and a sunscreen. A good pair of

sunglasses would also protect your (ears, eyes).

There will be a (few, little) high clouds in the evening, but it

(doesn’t, won’t) rain. In the early morning

there will be a slight wind from the North-

West which will change into a breeze by noon.

The sea will (calm down, turn choppy) in the

afternoon and it will be ideal to go bathing.

Report issued by Sunrise Hotel Met. Office

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C. Writing (30 marks)

C.1 Complete this conversation between Robert and Katie:

(4 marks)

Robert: Hello Kate. What’s the __________________________?

Katie: I’m feeling rather sad because my pet rabbit Snowy has run

away.

Robert; Have you tried _______________________________?

Katie: Oh, yes indeed! My dad and I have searched everywhere

but ________________________________________.

Robert: I’m really sorry about that. What can I do to

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Katie: You can help me put up these posters requesting

information about him. Look how cute he is in this picture!

Robert: Sure I will. Here, give me some and I will start right away.

Katie: Thank you Robert. I do hope I’ll find him soon. He has never

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Robert: Don’t worry. He may be

hiding just under our noses.

I have to go now. See you

Katie.

Katie: Bye, Robert!

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C.2 You have just returned home from an outing with your family.

Write a paragraph of about 40 words in your diary describing

the event. You can write about the place you went to, who

was with you and what you saw and did.

(6 marks)

Dear diary,

Today I had a really fantastic day. _____________________

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C.3 Composition (20 marks)

Write a composition of about 120 words on one of the

following:

1. Lost while on holiday!

Where were you on holiday? How did you get lost? What did you

do and how did you feel? Did anyone help you?

2. A letter to my mum

It’s your mum’s birthday and as a surprise you want to write her a

letter to tell her how much you love her and why.

3. One day I woke up and found myself hanging on the wall of our

classroom. I tried to move but I couldn’t. Suddenly I realised I

was a wall clock! …… Continue the story.

4. Picture story: Helping Grandma

You decided to spend your Saturday helping Grandma. Write

about what you did to help her. How did the day end?

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You may use this page for your planning.

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Write the number of your composition.

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